Chapter 6

Form IV: Ataru

"Given enough time, any man may master the physical. With enough
knowledge, any man may become wise. It is the true warrior who
can master both....and surpass the result. " - Tien T'ai

The Fourth Form of Lightsaber Combat is Ataru. In Canon, it
is referred to as The Aggression Form and the Way of the Hawk-
Bat. The Hawk-Bat is a raptavian (reptile and bird hybrid)
creature that is commonly found in urban areas and is
notoriously aggressive as it was graceful, as such is Ataru.

Ataru was developed sometime after Soresu. Jedi were tasked
with being peacekeepers throughout the galaxy. While many
favored Form III to diffuse situations with as little bloodshed
as possible, the Order realized that sometimes violence was the
only answer. Such times included the rising conflicts with the
Mandalorians, the fierce warrior culture that served to be just
as much a threat to the Jedi as the Sith before them.

Ataru is marked as the second most kinetically active form,
aside from Form VII. It relied on speed, acrobatics and power.
It is also the form that most heavily relied on the Force to
augment these attributes. This use of the Force allowed an even
playing field for Force Sensitives with potential disadvantages
in combat, such as size, lack of mobility and age. Its attacks
are were wide and fast from all angles while flowing into one
another, creating continuity. It was the offensive version of
its sister form: Soresu. Both relied on Speed, The Force, a
nonlinear move set as well as mindset in its applications.

Form IV is the most predominant of the Forms in the movies.
Nearly every major Jedi character we meet has had some
experience in Ataru. This is the Form of Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-
Wan in Phantom Menace. After the duel with Darth Maul and the
death of Qui Gon, Obi-Wan moved to Form III, however, the high
energy of Ataru is still evident throughout the Clone Wars.
Anakin studied Ataru, and employed it with his Form V in his
early years, which he would later abandon with the loss of his
limbs and his ability to augment them with the Force.

The most prolific user of the Form is Grand Master Yoda,
all two feet of him. His version of Ataru requires high
acrobatics and spinning to compensate for his short stature.
However, the other major user is the aforementioned Jinn, who
was over six foot tall. Qui Gon uses a variation on the Form
that uses more physical attacks and less acrobatics. While many
consider the Yoda version to be the "True" example of Ataru, the
Qui Gon version shows that there is some variability in the

Form. The Ultimate point seems to be a complete and total use of
one's body in the attack

Ataru is a barrage of energy. The form was particularly
strong against a single opponent in wide spaces. It was
effective in its ability to attack from any given angle and in
its fast reaction time. This made it a highly adaptive form that
could be utilized in multiple scenarios.

Unfortunately, the form had its fair share of weaknesses.
It was not particularly good with multiple opponents and wasn't
good with dealing with blasters. As stated, the Form required a
large field of play, an Ataru user would be limited in their
movements in confined spaces. Its other main weakness was that,
like Soresu, one could not keep to Form indefinitely.
Eventually, fatigue would set in. It is believed that these two
factors are what ultimately lead to Qui-Gon's death at the Hands
of Maul. Even Yoda, who is one of the most prolific Force Users
on record, is seen tired after his duel with Dooku.

There is something that should be said with Ataru: While
Soresu was considered to be the most commonly used of the seven
Forms, Ataru is the one we most commonly see through one form or
another. This may be because in the films, we are watching Jedi
in aggressive situations that call on attacks. Also, it may be
because dramatically, having the Jedi do nothing but defend
would get dull after a while. This is in part due to the fact
that the Forms were thought of during the prequels instead of
before, and many of the Forms and stances were tagged as this or
that. I will go into further discussion of this in a later
section.

Within Saber Combat, Ataru marks the final basic step. Form
I, II and III rely on Control, Precision and Defense
respectively. Form IV focuses on attacking with great speed and
agility. The idea is to end the conflict by striking a Mark of
Contact before the opponent can accurately defend and respond.
After this, the next three forms use the concepts of its four
predecessors in ways to suit their philosophy.

In speaking of Martial Arts terms, Ataru is clearly a Hard
Form. By this, we mean that it is high on offense. It focuses on
striking the opponent in a barrage of attacks. With that in
mind, there are a wide range of martial arts to consider. The
first would be Chinese Martial Arts in General. In this I mean
anything that goes under the blanket terms "Kung/Gung Fu" and
"Wushu". I say this because both forms use the entire body in
their motions, creating an almost dance-like tornado. Special

consideration goes to the use of the Jian and Dao used in Wushu,
which requires fast movements and flourishes. Both jian and Dao
were mentioned in Makashi and Soresu, respectively. What
separates their use now as opposed in other cases is that
acrobatics can be employed with them, matching Ataru's look and
feel.

Other considerations include Karate, which is the
quintessential Hard Form. Other styles that should be considered
is Capoeira, which uses dance like moves to employ striking and
even grappling, and Parkour, which uses body mechanics to adapt
to obstacles. The ultimate point is using the body to its full
potential while attacking.

YouTube Video

In the Jedi Community, Ataru is easily one of the more
popular Forms and there are many who employ it. Many either use
a specific martial art or merely physical discipline in their
tricks. Most of the users are Masters in the Community. They
include Glenn DeVecchis (Jin-Ke), who studies and teaches Wushu;
Omar Holmes (Tier), who developed an Ataru Kata based on Jian
sword work; Richard Zak (Zak-Ri Dicoo) who uses gymnastics in
his technique. Special mentions include John Loobie (Lybro) who
uses Capoeira and Demetrius Felder (Verdant Vendetta) who uses
Parkour in his techniques. Other members include Roy Kaiser (as
Carst Nagana) and Mike Merin (Darth K'Sheen).